YouTube has announced a price hike for its Premium membership in India, affecting all subscription tiers.
The new pricing for the YouTube Family plan is ₹299 per month, up from the previous ₹189. The plan allows up to five members to share a single subscription. YouTube’s notification to users stated that the price increase is intended to maintain and improve service quality and support content creators on the platform.
In addition to the Family plan, YouTube’s Student plan has seen a 12.6 percent increase, now costing ₹89 per month, up from ₹79. YouTube’s Individual plan has risen by 15 percent, with the monthly cost now at ₹149, compared to the earlier ₹129.
Prepaid plans have also been affected by the price hike. The new rates are as follows:
Individual Prepaid Monthly: ₹159 (up from ₹139)
Individual Prepaid Quarterly: ₹459 (up from ₹399)
Individual Prepaid Annual: ₹1,490 (up from ₹1,290)
These updated prices are applicable to both new subscribers and existing Premium users.
YouTube Premium offers benefits such as ad-free streaming, high-bitrate streaming at 1080p, offline downloads, background playback, and ad-free access to YouTube Music. The platform has over 100 million subscribers globally.
Comparatively, other streaming services in India offer different pricing structures. Spotify Premium starts at ₹119 per month for individuals, ₹179 per month for the family plan (including up to six accounts), and ₹59 per month for students.
Apple Music is priced at ₹149 per month individually, with an Apple One plan available for ₹195 per month, which includes Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud+ storage. Apple One’s family plan is ₹365 per month, offering up to 200GB of iCloud+ storage for up to five members.
